The starfish story

So there's this story that I have heard in a few different versions but most recently from my wonderful new friend Lynda who fed me a delicious breakfast the other day while regaling me with tales of her own adventures in Kenya and Ethiopia. It really kind of sums up my goals and where I'm at in life right now, who I want to be and what I can aim for and acheive.

"One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed upon the beach. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man walked for miles.

As he strolled along, he noticed a small figure dancing in the distance. It made him chuckle to think of someone celebrating life in such an uninhibited way. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that the figure was not dancing. Instead, she seemed to be repeatedly performing some ritual.

He drew nearer still and noticed that the small figure was a child. She was methodically picking up starfish and tossing them into the surf. He paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, "Why are you throwing these starfish?"

"It's high tide," she replied, "If I leave them on the beach, the sun will soon dry them and they will die. I am throwing them into the ocean so they can live." The man considered her actions, impressed with the child's thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles of the beach. "There must be thousands of starfish along here," he said, "you cannot possibly make a difference."

The young girl stopped. Her face darkened. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, "You're probably right," she said softly. She looked down at the sand. Then she leaned over, carefully picked up another starfish, pulled back and arched it gently into the sea.

With a tone of gentle defiance, she said, "But I made a difference for that one."


I have so often found myself utterly overwhelmed at the badness in the world and felt so completely powerless to do anything about it. I don't understand big business. I don't get government. I rarely have ideas grand enough to effect any sort of large scale change. That used to be so frustrating because I just wanted to be a part of something important and big and meaningful. But then I realised that I can affect one life and while in the giant world picture it may not mean anything that someone played soccer with that kid/helped that lady plant a garden/taught that girl how to read, if you zoom in and look at it on a personal level it might mean life to that one person. This is the kind of changeI want to make, the kind of change I know I can make.